SC - Paul Murdaugh, 22 and mom Margaret, 52, found shot to death, Islandton, 7 June 2021 #6

[Colorado303]

Initially I was wondering why he would take the back road. Personally, if my family members were recently murdered, I would be in constant state of heightened awareness and I would probably stick to the most visible, travelled roads possible. No back roads for me. But then I thought (and iirc it was mentioned earlier) that if he was having car troubles from initially leaving home, maybe it was smarter to take roads allowing for slower speeds. However from one of his lawyer's many comments, the alert light came on as he was driving. So there's that.

I can *maybe* understand if the Moselle property wasn't covered by cameras initially, but after the murders, it would seem foolish to not install them, at least near the residence and where vehicles were kept. That makes sense, right? Where and how would someone have knifed the tire?

HIGHLY unlikely but I do wonder if a tracking device was put on his car.

I’ve had plenty of flat tires but fortunately never experienced one that has been slashed. It seems a car would most likely be sitting still for a knife to cause a slash. Also I would have thought when a tire is slashed it immediately goes flat and an indicator light would show up right away rather in the middle of a drive. Is that not the case, or perhaps not the case with “run flat” tires?

 

[StrangerThanFiction]

How does this jive with AM saying he looked away, heard a gunshot and the car sped away? It doesn't, IMO.

"Police say they found at least seven shell casings at the scene."

Authorities investigating after Alex Murdaugh was found shot in the head | WCBD News 2

Yes the Baptist church did have cameras and SLED has the footage.

"Video cameras from St. John’s Baptist Church, just a few hundred yards from the scene, could reveal more about the incident. According to NBC News, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has now obtained that video footage, but the agency has not said what, if anything, is on it."

Alex Murdaugh attorney doubles down: Shooting wasn’t self-inflicted | WSAV-TV

Would it be more curate to say SLED has “potential” video footage? We don’t actually know if anything was recorded, do we?

 

[sunshineray]

The knife HAS been traced back to him. (Per Fitsnews). I don’t think there ever was a gun. I think the graze wound was caused by the knife. If there were a gun, he would have gunshot residue on his hands, and he’s not going to take that chance. I think he cut himself, flattened his tire, and then drove down the road. That’s why they found blood inside the car. IMO, the church security camera will show that there never was any other car on that road except for him.

I want to know about the Good Samaritans AM hitched a ride with. Did they help to stem the flow of blood and maybe hand out some disinfectant wipes to let him clean himself up a bit? I know I carry those in all our vehicles, especially since covid. Would those sufficiently clean away gunshot residue? Plus the medical helicopter or later hospital attendants could have also wipe residue away?

 

[LotusPawprint]

Getting him out of there by helicopter before LE arrived on the scene would do a lot to prevent his hands being tested for gunshot residue, especially taking his cell phone with him

A few posts before yours, MassGuy shared this:

"Further, an eye witness (see top of article and below) told FITSnews her phone shows the helicopter landed at the scene along Charleston Highway in Varnville, South Carolina around 2:15 p.m. and left around 2:25 p.m. She told FITSNews that police appeared at the landing zone before the helicopter."

So LE was there and per the incident report a Corporal Henderson spoke with AM before he was flown out.

 

[MassGuy]

Always be weary of someone who is making a “straw man,” argument. This is incredibly telling, as he’s refusing to address the real suspicion, namely, that he staged the flat tire and shooting to make it look like an attempt on his life.

“I don’t think you choose to have a flat tire or stage a flat tire to commit suicide. That makes no sense,” Griffin said. “There are many things (being reported) that are incongruent.”

https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/crime/article254109318.html#storylink=mainstage_card2

 

[worm]

Murdaugh Murders: Helicopter Dispatched To Alex Murdaugh Shooting Before Sheriff’s Office

C.A.R.E. Flight officials confirmed Friday the helicopter that transported Alex Murdaugh from a landing zone about 7 miles from the alleged shooting scene was dispatched at 1:43 p.m. Saturday — approximately 9 minutes after Alex Murdaugh called 911.

This means that the helicopter was dispatched approximately 12 minutes before the Hampton County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched at 1:55 p.m. Saturday, according to their news release written three days after the shooting.

If the shooting was reported to police as an “attempted murder” as the incident report says, why would it take 12 minutes for the law enforcement agency in charge of the area to dispatch officers?

Was local law enforcement’s arrival on the scene deliberately delayed?

Further, an eye witness (see top of article and below) told FITSnews her phone shows the helicopter landed at the scene along Charleston Highway in Varnville, South Carolina around 2:15 p.m. and left around 2:25 p.m. She told FITSNews that police appeared at the landing zone before the helicopter.

I used to monitor these radio calls on my job and while it isnt unusual for them to dispatch medical responders first, you are correct that 12 minutes is a stretch. It’s usually right after or another dispatcher will tone out LE at the same time.

 

[worm]

Well, actually, police would be dispatched first. It is there job to make sure the scene is safe before the ambulance is dispatched.

Not necessarily dispatched first, but I’ve seen EMS wait nearby until LE clears them to come to the scene.

 

[MerryB]

Are we allowed to post audio of the 911 call from Moselle? I hear something I’d like to get opinions on. Thx.

 

[worm]

I'm REALLY hesitant to trust this source. A quick Google search will show that this site is " mostly accurate " and there are some questions of transparency of ownership. I'm surprised that a place with obvious political leanings is being used as a reliable source. It is not a news organization, it's an opinion blog. And it is my opinion that they should be questioned as a genuine news source. There are some questionable stories that they have "reported" on in the past. I say this with local knowledge about them and I'll leave it at that.

Also I find it strange that this opinion blog gets 'news' that other long standing news organizations with years of local ties and accreditation can't. Again, just my opinion.

I have followed them here locally and found them to be credible. And they do have good sources. I know they were attacked by local officials here in the upstate who were under a corruption investigation about not being “real news” but every single thing they reported was truth as the result ended up proving.

 

[Colorado303]

Well, actually, police would be dispatched first. It is there job to make sure the scene is safe before the ambulance is dispatched.

Very true. I used to be an EMT and there is no way they would let us approach a victim in a report of shots fired without the scene being first cleared by LE. We would be staged blocks to a few miles away waiting for an all clear. Which could explain why the good samaritans transported AM to a waiting ambulance.

It’s also common to have ambulances transport patients to a waiting helicopter since choppers can’t land just anywhere. Flight for life typically has many pre-established landing sites all over their service area and may very well have landed with the expectation the patient would be delivered to them by ground medics.

There is a lot about this case that stinks but IMO the good samaritan car —->ambulance ——-> helicopter chain is one of the few things that actually makes sense.

I’m not saying I fully understand why AM received air transport in the first place (though admittedly I know nothing about private transport insurance in rural areas). Just that if it had been determined he would be evacuated by air the transport to the chopper happened exactly the way I would have expected.

 

[white rabbit]

<modsnip: Do not circumvent WS board profanity filters>

LE in colleton/hampton county are going to allow a random "samaritan" to drive a potential POI from a crime scene to a helicopter airlift? Giving up the perfect opportunity to question an already compromised/wounded alleged suspect? <modsnip> Does anyone in South Carolina or following this case actually believe the words of SLED, Griffin, PMPED or any person involved in this case?

<modsnip>

 

[clearskies1]

Are we allowed to post audio of the 911 call from Moselle? I hear something I’d like to get opinions on. Thx.

Yes, as long as you post it from a main stream media site.

 

[sunshineray]

JUST IN: We confirmed with officials that the helicopter that transported Alex Murdaugh to the hospital was dispatched 12 minutes BEFORE the Hampton County Sheriff's Office.

Also, we got photos of the helicopter scene.
View attachment 312093 View attachment 312094 View attachment 312095

https://twitter.com/mandymatney/status/1436422737464020992?s=21

Hmmm ok. Do we know if EMS was there when it was dispatched? IIRC 911 call came in at 1:34, is that right? Does EMS then inform the Sheriff's Office or is it the same dispatcher that handles both?

 

[worm]

Hmmm ok. Do we know if EMS was there when it was dispatched? IIRC 911 call came in at 1:34, is that right? Does EMS then inform the Sheriff's Office or is it the same dispatcher that handles both?

I’m not positive on that county but most all of them have a central 911 communications dept as part of the emergency preparedness system.

 

[sunshineray]

JUST IN: We confirmed with officials that the helicopter that transported Alex Murdaugh to the hospital was dispatched 12 minutes BEFORE the Hampton County Sheriff's Office.

Also, we got photos of the helicopter scene.
View attachment 312093 View attachment 312094 View attachment 312095

https://twitter.com/mandymatney/status/1436422737464020992?s=21

Snipped from the article linked in above tweet by FITSNews...

"Soon after FITSNews first reported that Alex Murdaugh was driven away from the crime scene after calling 911 and transported via car by an unknown individual, Griffin told other media outlets that a “Good Samaritan” picked Alex up and drove him “toward the hospital.”

This to me is very suspicious! Only after FITSNews published that AM was picked up by a car did the Murdaugh lawyer then say a Good Samaritan picked him up? (and that lawyer also said a couple of Good Samaritans, so which is it, just one or two in the car?)

 

[LetsSolvIt]

UPDATE: Police now say Alex Murdaugh was visibly injured following Saturday's shooting

Murdaugh says a truck passed him before turning around a few o yards later in front of St. John Baptist Church and coming back.

Griffin said Murdaugh and the truck's occupants had a brief interaction about the car trouble and when Murdaugh looked away he heard a gunshot and the car sped off. Griffin said Murdaugh did not recognize the occupants, but was able to describe them to SLED investigators.

Does the church have securety cams?

I read somewhere in this thread that the church did have video and LE has it.

Think it's interesting that AM says the truck turned around in front of the Baptist church because it could have easily made that U-turn while remaining on pavement and therefore not leaving tread impressions on the shoulder -- something we have been discussing as evidence -- were there tread impressions?

I am finding lawyer Griffin's very specific remarks disturbing not because he is spinning to protect his client and potentially poisoning the jury pool but because I'm thinking if he is providing so many specifics and it comes out in a trial later that all his verbiage was not true or much exaggerated it would make him look like a fool and liar and reflect on his reputation. If I were in his shoes I wouldn't be reporting so many specifics unless there was a lot of truth to them. Thus my concern -- is there truth to his statements?

 

[LetsSolvIt]

Initially I was wondering why he would take the back road. Personally, if my family members were recently murdered, I would be in constant state of heightened awareness and I would probably stick to the most visible, travelled roads possible. No back roads for me. But then I thought (and iirc it was mentioned earlier) that if he was having car troubles from initially leaving home, maybe it was smarter to take roads allowing for slower speeds. However from one of his lawyer's many comments, the alert light came on as he was driving. So there's that.

I can *maybe* understand if the Moselle property wasn't covered by cameras initially, but after the murders, it would seem foolish to not install them, at least near the residence and where vehicles were kept. That makes sense, right? Where and how would someone have knifed the tire?

HIGHLY unlikely but I do wonder if a tracking device was put on his car.

Is Matt Harris's podcast (The Murdaugh Family Murders) okay to mention / discuss / site?

 

[sunshineray]

Nowhere did I say addictions ‘cause’ people to commit crimes! Please show me where I said that. Thank you!

I'll say it. Addiction does cause some people to commit crimes. Addicts, not all addicts, but some addicts turn to crime to fund their addiction. It's a fact as old as addiction.

 

[LotusPawprint]

<modsnip: Do not circumvent WS board profanity filters>

LE in colleton/hampton county are going to allow a random "samaritan" to drive a potential POI from a crime scene to a helicopter airlift? Giving up the perfect opportunity to question an already compromised/wounded alleged suspect? <modsnip> Does anyone in South Carolina or following this case actually believe the words of SLED, Griffin, PMPED or any person involved in this case?

<modsnip>

If AM is on the side of the road ,supposedly having just been shot/grazed by a bullet and has a flat tire, and passersby see this and offer him a ride away from the scene and to safety, that is not really LE 'allowing' it to happen.
A Corporal DID speak with him at that second scene before he was flown away. Compromised or not, he's a lawyer so if he wanted to refuse to talk, he would be well aware of that right. I don't think he has NOT been talking but I do question the veracity of what is coming out of Camp Murdaugh.

 

[sunshineray]

If the slashing of the tire occurred after AM was injured there would have been no need to change out a flat tire.

That senario, IMO, goes hand in hand with a deception to hide the fact of a suicide attempt. Just a fabrication. AJMO